General – Page 102 – thisiswhatyoushalldo

March 14, 2003August 31, 2010

Friday Fives

1. As a child, who was your favorite superhero/heroine? Why
Green Lantern. He seemed to be “more real” than the other heroes. Except for maybe Peter Parker of Spiderman fame, he seemed puzzled and uneasy about his powers.

2. What was one thing you always wanted as a child but never got?
An electric go cart and a set of Legos Â® (My mom and dad were more of the Tinker Toy/Lincoln Log set.)

3. What’s the furthest from home you’ve been?
Geneva, Switzerland or maybe Northern Italy while serving in the Army and stationed in Germany.

4. What’s one thing you’ve always wanted to learn but haven’t yet?
To speak Spanish and if I can take two instead of one ? to play the guitar.

5. What are your plans for the weekend?
Saint Patrick’s Day Weekend, which involves a parade downtown tomorrow morning. I am not making any promises, but perhaps I will commandeer a float and make like Ferris Bueller and sing to the crowds.

March 14, 2003July 20, 2010

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Spring Is Upon Us

No call yet on whether I have the job. Let me tell you about yesterday. I spent three hours up in Westminster at the Finali offices. A very nice facility that is just west of Ball Aerospace offices. The “Candidate Assessment Workshop” consisted of a lot team building projects, communications skills and customer service roll playing scenarios in which the 19 candidates would be hired for 11 positions available. I hope I did well, but I you can never really tell with these things. All you can do is be yourself, present your self as interested, professional and knowledgeable and hope that is what they are looking for. It does seem a lot for a job that doesn’t pay much, that is for sure. There are certainly a few there who annoyed the Finali folks on hand for assessment as well as annoying a few from the placement agency from time to time. I, of course, was as charming as can be, although I bit my tongue and didn’t go for the punch line, letting that slip sometimes can get a job candidate in trouble after all. They said they would have an answer today after the background checks were completed, but it is my experience that such statements need to be extended. But hopefully I will have an answer before Tuesday. The training class is supposed to start on Wednesday March 19.
In other news, I got my approval for the extension for unemployment benefits, so if everything goes bad, I at least have another 13 weeks of unemployment.

March 12, 2003October 9, 2010

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A Great National Nightmare Ends

I am sitting here this morning contemplating much as I stare at the bright blue sky and the tempting wisps of spring, whose arrival is mere days away. I have the opportunity to take a job in Westmintster and will take a final interview for the position tomorrow afternoon. I find I have no real choice but to take it. I posted my initial reactions to the position on March 3, and after a nine-day temper tantrum I have decided to just bite the bullet and take the job. Although it is a temp-to-hire position, although it is an entry-level position and although initially it offers nothing substantial to contribute to my bottom line, I think, of all the prospects that have been fed my way, it offers the best potential for some security in these troubled times we face. I think, after eight long months of unemployment that it is best to come out from under my rock, brush my teeth, leave the house, greet the world. To interact with members of my species. So I will take the job. It really is a no brainer. Upon completing the annoying three month temporary hire position, it offers a decent wage, great benefits and for a customer service job has very little phone work, concentrating instead on email, database and chat-based programs to solve Western Union customers and service vendor issues. It has a drawback of requiring one weekend day a month as part of its shift, but that is the ugly pill of being the new guy. It has the advantage of later hours, much like I worked at Nextel, so I can take a 2 p.m. to 11 p.m shift, which will make traffic easier. I drove up there yesterday to see where it is, what the commute entails and to gauge the distance. It is a 24 minute drive in rush hour traffic, so I think I can handle that. I have a good number of friends who have a much worse commute. And with a day off in the middle of the week and mornings off, if the position doesn’t pan out, or I find myself not challenged, I can use that time to continue to look for work. So, there you have it. A decision, at least on my part, has been made. I have a hurdle tomorrow afternoon that is left to meet, but according to the placement agency it is more of a formality to make sure I and Finali are a good fit. They meet me, I meet them and we decide if it is going to work. I have no problems with that. Having hired a number of temps in a big hiring net in my past, the whole process makes sense.

Finali Corporation

Western Union

March 12, 2003August 28, 2010

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I New It!

White House Communications Director Dan Bartlett, when asked to comment on President Bush’s prime time news conference last week, said the affair was part of the Bush White House’s political propaganda: “In this case, we know what the questions are going to be, and those are the ones we want to answer.” So why do we even make them prime time news? Why do we even bother calling it a press conference. Why isn’t this guy EVER held to the carpet by the “liberal” media? God forbid someone gets on the wrong side of the White House juggernaut and gets locked out of the White House briefing room and all that spoon-fed access. That might mean the reporters would have to leave Pennsylvania Avenue and hit the streets to work a story that might be different than the one they have covered for years. It is probably best they just leave their heads in the sand.

Press Conferences kept simple, predictable

March 11, 2003September 12, 2010

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Elvis Costello To Host Letterman

Letterman is down sick with some odd viral infection and has sat out a week or two of shows. In his stay several guest hosts are sitting in. And on Wednesday night, 3/12/03, Elvis Costello, the king of cruel, will be behind the desk. Set your VCR’s.

March 11, 2003August 26, 2010

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Wanna Box Cutter? How About 100 Or So

Attention knife collectors, tool collectors, odds and ends collectors. The Oakland and Sacramento Airports have banded together, created an eBay seller name and are selling, at great prices, all the confiscated pocket knives and scissors and what not on eBay. This is hightly entertaining. According to the San Fransisco Gate article, they have made up $16,281.00 and compared to hauling off all the stuff to a scrap metal incinerator, they have been able to get the tools back into circulation. I am sure that some folks are angry that they are profiting from this – and I am not sure if there are steps to take to get back your confiscated stuff after your flight, but at least it isn’t all going to waste.

March 11, 2003April 21, 2009

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Got An Exta $250?

Buy a picture frame. That’s right, a picture frame. Pacific Digital presents a wall or desk frame digital photo LCD screen that will display electronicl digital pictures and lets you download using USB or memory stick any of your digi pics into the frame. Just thought you should know. I think I will pass.

March 10, 2003July 17, 2010